


Achilles Come Down

by Chaotic_Neuteral



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Depression, Dream is a villain, Exile, Found Family, Hallucinations, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Insanity, Misunderstandings, Protective Older Brothers, Self Harm, Suicide, god what is this a bingo board
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotic_Neuteral/pseuds/Chaotic_Neuteral
Summary: Tommy is in exile with nobody but the ghost of someone he used to know, the man who got him sent to the middle of nowhere, and himself.  Nobody visits him, though their voices float on the air, tantalizingly close.But he knows he's going mad. It's obvious. Even the logs think so.
Relationships: Ghostbur & TommyInnit, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Ranboo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Tommyinnit & Philza & Technoblade & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	1. You're scaring us

**Author's Note:**

> Name inspired by ewwitselijah (and the idea for an achilles come down fic came after reading the first chapter title, i didn't actually read their story)
> 
> I'm trying to keep this as accurate as possible (up until the storyline splits off from canon), but please recognize that not everything will be perfect!

"We can figure this out. We'll fix this, Dream will understand your choice." Tommy took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "He can't possibly fight all of us. And we stick together, right Tubbo? We're a team."

"Of course." Tubbo grinned, tugging on the last piece of armor. "Now let's go tell Dream our verdict."

Quackity and Ranboo joined them on the Prime Path, making quiet conversation as they slowly neared the obsidian wall. Their voices got softer and softer as the group stepped into the huge shadow of the monstrosity, petering off completely once they saw Dream. He was also in full armor, sinister mask still in place. Tommy took a deep breath to steel his nerves before beginning the climb up the hazardous staircase.

Dream met them without a smile or a handshake. Back to the sun and sword in hand, he wasn't there for pleasantries. "Have you made a decision?" His voice was a monotone, as usual, collected and as unreadable as the ceramic smile he never took off.

"We have." Tubbo was holding his own sword, standing protectively in front of his friends. If a fight broke out, he was ready to take a few hits. Tommy beamed with pride. Friends stuck together, it was stupid of Dream to think Tubbo would ever exile his closest friend, his right hand man. "Tommy means well, Dream. The plan was never to set George's house on fire. You, however, retaliated in a way that is escalating the situation an unnecessary amount."

"Tubbo, before you give your answer, I want to remind you of what's at stake. If you let Tommy roam free, I will put armed guards outside L'Manburg at all hours. Nobody will go in, and nobody will leave. If you do somehow get out, we will hunt you down and kill you. This isn't some little spat, Tommy is a criminal and needs to be treated as such." Dream's tone didn't give away whether he was nervous, angry, or calm.

"I know. However, the decision is already made, and nothing anyone will say can sway it now. Dream," Tubbo looked Dream dead in the eyes of his mask. "Please escort Tommy from L'Manburg."

It felt like the floor had fallen out from under Tommy. All eyes were on him, Dream was striding closer, Tubbo moved out of the way. Tommy drew his sword, feeling like a caged hen. "Wh- no, Tubbo, you.... Tubbo, you can't."

"I have to. I've got no other choice, Toms. You forced my hand."

"No! Tubbo, listen, please-"

"It's for the country." Tubbo's fists were clenched, and he stared at the ground. Quackity and Ranboo started shouting, shoving Tubbo and gesturing angrily, but Tommy could barely hear them. It felt like he was underwater.

"Before the discs, before all of this, Tubbo," Tommy's own voice, from a time since passed, echoed in his head. "It's been you and me against Dream."

Tubbo had nodded, back then. He'd understood what that meant. They were supposed to stay on the same side. Tommy felt weak as Dream gently pushed him to the stairs, craning his neck to try and see Tubbo.

Ranboo cast him a single panicked glance. In those few seconds, he mouthed, "I'm on your side."

And then he was gone. Dream shoved Tommy out the door, pushing him into the Dream SMP lands. Tommy leaned against the wall, trying not to cry. "I...."

"More walking, less talking. C'mon." Dream pulled at Tommy's sleeve, holding the sword up in a vaguely threatening way. Tommy pulled his arm free and glared.

"I'm exiled from L'Manburg, I'm allowed to stand here. You've made it very clear that this wall marks the border between the SMP and my country, I think." Tommy couldn't help but spit the words out, disgusted that he just said the words 'I'm exiled from L'Manburg'.

"Oh," Dream sounded like he was trying not to laugh. "You're not just exiled from L'Manburg, Tommy."

Tommy's head shot up.

"You're exiled from the whole SMP."

***

Tommy stared blankly at the rolling waves, trying desperately to ignore Wilbur. Dream was rowing, making it look easy despite the currents being strong. They had been going for over an hour, and Tommy had run out of the need to cry. He had cried once, when it was raining, but was able to play it off as rainwater dripping down his face. Nobody bothered to ask why his eyes were so red.

"Fifty-six bottles of beer on the shelf, fifty-six bottles of beer!" Wilbur was still cheery, not feeling the bone-chilling cold of the night. He'd been singing that same song ever since they lost sight of land. Tommy had been waiting for Dream to say something, but he had been stony silent the entire boat ride.

Tommy finally snapped when Wilbur prodded him to try and get him to join in. "No, Wilbur, can you please shut up? I'm being fucking exiled, and all you can do is sing a stupid song about beer!"

"Well now I've lost count." Wilbur pouted, and Tommy had to take a second to remind himself that this wasn't Wilbur, it was Ghostbur. He couldn't be mean, no matter how much Ghostbur looked like his brother, because Ghostbur was more sensitive.

"I'm sorry. You were at fifty-five." Tommy slumped, grumbling. Ghostbur perked up and ruffled Tommy's hair, launching right back into the song. Tommy glared hard at Dream's back, cursing him for staying silent. It did nothing.

***

"Home sweet home." Dream finally tethered the boat to shore and offered Tommy a hand. "Watch out, you're gonna be really unstable."

Tommy batted his arm away, scowling. "I can do it on my own." He hopped out of the boat and immediately, legs cramped and wobbly. Tommy almost pitched forward, but caught himself on a tree and held himself upright until the feeling of the earth doing flips around him faded. Ghostbur didn't seem effected at all, dancing around merrily on the sand.

"Well, this is where I take my leave. Do what you want, but don't go over a mile away from here. I'll be back tomorrow to see what you've built." Dream hopped back in the boat, severing the rope tying it to the tree, and started maneuvering the paddles so he could turn around. Tommy jumped forward, stomach wadding itself into a tiny ball of nerves.

"Wait, wait, you're just leaving?"

"...yes. Did you want me to stay with you 24/7? I thought I'd do some surveillance once a day, but if you'd like me to watch you all the time I can work something ou-"

"Never mind. God, you're fucking annoying." Tommy flipped off Dream as soon as his back fully turned, aggressively shaking his hands. Ghostbur mimicked the action, giggling, and Tommy barely resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "Come on, Ghostbur, let's go set up camp."

It was drizzling and miserable as Tommy hiked, and the moon was high in the sky. He let Ghostbur deal with the mobs, pulling out his axe and felling a few trees. Quickly, he threw together a small wooden shack. Just a few feet wide, a few feet tall. Nothing like his house at home. Tommy bit back a sad noise at the thought of home. Already it felt so much further than it actually was. How were people going to visit him? It took Dream, the most physically fit person on the SMP or L'Manburg grounds over two hours to row there on a clear night.

Tommy put a bed down in the corner and climbed in, trying to ignore the feeling of unfamiliarity that washed over him as he looked around the little room. He drifted off to sleep wondering what his friends were doing back home...


	2. Redemption Lies Plainly in Truth

"When do I get to go back home, d'you think?" Tommy stared out at the water, willing himself not to cry. The day was gray and drizzly, his hair was already sticking to his forehead. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, there would be plenty to distract Tommy, but with nobody but Ghostbur and him for miles around, the rain felt like it might kill him.

"Oh, I don't know." Ghostbur sat quietly, unbothered by the chill. "I think it's rather pretty out here, isn't it? Much calmer than at home. Though I do miss Phil." He poked at the fire with a stick, trying to get the fish to cook faster.

Tommy shivered drawing the blanket over his shoulders. "Wilbur, Tubbo exiled me. Why do you think he would do that? I'm supposed to be his best friend, and best friends don't do that."

"Then he wasn't your best friend." Dream's voice cut through the air, severing the little bit of peace Tommy had found. "I came early. How are you settling in?" 

Tommy whipped his head around to glare. Dream was soaked, the weather conditions probably hadn't been easy on him. "What does it matter to you, dipshit? Just leave me alone."

"No can do." Dream sat on a log opposite Tommy and Ghostbur. "If I don't check up on you, how am I supposed to know if you're still here? It would be trivially easy to leave and hide. Though," Dream paused for effect, "If you leave I'm going to hunt you down and take your last life. All the L'Manburg residents will join me. And I don't think you have any kind of desire to die."

Tommy scowled into the fire, biting back the urge to fight Dream right then and there. "Whatever."

Dream shrugged, taking the fully cooked fish. The only one they had. "I mean, suit yourself. If you want to run right now, go ahead, but be warned: You'll end up like your brother here. Wanna spend the rest of eternity never knowing who you were?"

A spike of cold fear shot through Tommy's gut. Dream had gone right for his throat, and the jab had worked extraordinarily well. His mouth felt dry, and Tommy croaked out: "No. Not particularly."

"Alright, well I'll just be here. Go ahead and start working on a house." Dream leaned back, tilting up his mask just enough to take a bite of the fish. Tommy's stomach grumbled, and he stood, once again suppressing the urge to cry.

Ghostbur helped gather materials, and Tommy put them together in a... decent formation. Dream kept watch the entire time, every so often offering up advice that nobody wanted or asked for. 

***

Finally, it was finished. The midday sun shone high in the sky, and Tommy collapsed on a log, leaning back to breathe. He sat like that for a few minutes, limbs feeling like jelly from all the lifting and nailing and pushing and pulling he'd done.

"How are you feeling?" Dream's question would sound concerned if not for the painfully obvious indifference in his voice.

Tommy ignored the question. "When can I go home?"

"Prove yourself to me. Show me you won't run, show me who you really are. If you're genuinely a good person underneath all those layers, I might let you go home. As of right now, the answer is never, but that's not my final verdict. Change my mind about you, make my answer a 'someday soon'." Dream's arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned up against a tree.

"So this is all a test of character? You could have done that back home, you know."

"That's not your home, and this isn't just a test. Face it Tommy, you're the most dangerous person in L'Manburg. Not because you're powerful, but because you're prideful. And stupid, and blindly run into fights without thinking of the outcome. Every war that's faced us in the past? You started them. Sometimes with help, sometimes without. And you almost started another one, burning down George's house."

Tommy's body went cold. Was it true? He thought back to what sparked past wars and... yeah. He was stubborn and stupid sometimes, but he hadn't been the driving cause for conflict, had he? "I mean..."

"You're still not convinced. Think about it this way: all you care about is the discs, right? That's the most important thing to you in all of the SMP and L'Manburg grounds." Dream looked at Tommy for the first time, gesturing to drive his point.

"No, I-"

"I heard you say it. The one thing you care about, right?"

"Not the one thing." Tommy winced. "That was.... it was a mistake. I didn't mean to say it like that."

"But you did anyway. Funny thing, when we're stressed we tend to say what we truly mean. We get more blunt, easier to rile up. Secrets come out, sometimes secrets we don't even know. Face it, you said that for a reason."

"No, it was a slip up! I-"

"Well, you're obviously not the most important thing to him." Dream's voice took on a cutting edge. "Otherwise he would have fought for you. I know the original plan, I know how he was playing you. Face it, he cares more about himself and his safety than he does you."

"It was for the country." Tommy sounded desperate. He knew he did. "He chose the country over me."

"And who's a part of that country? Who would be the one to look bad if he got you all hurt? Whose actions reflect on an entire nation? It's Tubbo. And he knows that. He said it to you, and you were only his right hand man! If your actions reflected so badly that he exiled you, think about how bad he would have looked if you had stayed. Both of you would have looked awful, and Mr. President is quite fond of his title."

"That's not true. Tubbo would never choose himself over someone he cares about." Tommy clenched his hands, voice raspy from trying to hold back tears.

"Then I guess he must not care about you all that much."


End file.
